The present invention relates to printing apparatuses, and more particularly to a printing apparatus provided with a function of repeatedly printing data in specified positions of each of a plurality of printing media.
Heretofore, printing apparatuses have been known in which printing is performed on a printing medium in accordance with input data. Some of such printing apparatuses are capable of printing data on specified print positions on a printing medium and this can be repeatedly effected for a plurality of printing media. This type of printing is performed in such a manner that a printing head is moved sequentially to specified positions on the printing medium; the positions of the so moved printing head is sequentially stored; and printing data to be printed in the specified positions are sequentially stored. Those operations are performed by a printing data setting means. Upon storage of the print positions and the associated printing data, the printing head is sequentially moved to the specified positions in accordance with the stored position data, and printing is carried out in accordance with the stored printing data. The latter operations are performed by a repetitive printing means.
In the conventional printing apparatus described above, the printing is carried out in the order that the print positions are specified and stored. Therefore, the printing may be carried out in a staggered fashion, that is, the printing paper moves back and forth with respect to a paper feeding direction. If the printing is carried out in such a staggered fashion, the paper feeding would not be performed smoothly, particularly when a continuous form printing paper is used. In addition, due to unmatching between the movement of the printing head and the paper feeding, the data may not be printed to the specified position on the printing paper, or a printing time may be excessively prolonged.